My Muffins Are to Die For

I just couldn't resist making one more Halloween baking tray!  I bought a couple of these really nice,crusty, well-loved muffin pans at an estate sale late this summer, with Halloween in mind, of course, not to bake with!

A Vintage Journey is wrapping up a delightful challenge A Halloween to Die For. and the Creative Guides and the guest designers have really outdone themselves on this one.  I thought I might join in at the last minute.

Linda Ledbetter and the Curiosity Crew also have a wonderful challenge...Compendium of Curiosities 3, Challenge 14 "Colored Crackle". I urge you to check out. You can find this and other wonderful techniques in Tim Holtz' book A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 3, and if you enter this challenge--the mystery unravels on Pg. 53, you could win a fabulous $25 shopping spree from the very lovely Linda Coughlin, owner of The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  If you are the Curiosity Crew Choice winner, you will win an awesome assortment of Tim's goodies compliments of Tim and Mario. Remember, you must work from your own copy of Tim's book.  You can get your autographed copy here.

Here is my Halloween muffin tin...

I am not going to bore you with details on this one.  Let's just suffice it to say I threw everything at this.  I only have one  no Halloween dies (was thinking ticket strip is Halloween, but that is the stamp), so at first I was going to sit this one out.  But hold on there a minute!  I can do this without any stinkin' Halloween dies, because I see potential in anything when it comes to Halloween! So I gathered a pile of non-Halloween dies and went to town, layering on inks, paints, stains, texture paste, and a secret ingredient and technique I can't divulge out of respect to Tim--you have to get his book for yourself and read all about it on page 53 . The papers I used were of all kinds, too--everything from  printed scrapbook paper to notebook covers from my kids school notebooks (see man and woman).  Now in all fairness, you will see two Halloween die cuts...a spider and a Halloween cat by Sizzix on my project.  These were from one of those sweet surprises you get when you place an order with the generous Linda at  the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

I tried  mono printing on the spider's background using the shattered stencil.  

                                             

The Halloween cat is on the harlequin background. The crackle really shows up on the frame here.

Here is a list of the dies I used:

Tim Holtz  Sizzix Alterations and Decorative Strips:

Ornate Frame
Tattered Banners
Mini Paper Rosettes
Ticket Strip
Spring and Festive Greenery dies
Weathered Clock
Pediments
Bird Branch

Spellbinders:

Standard Circles Large
Fleur De Lis Squares
Classic Squares Large
Labels Twenty-Two
Blossom Tags and Accents

A series of close up shots to show (hopefully) the Colored Crackle technique--sorry for the blurries.

I did the technique just at the edges of the rosette using Pewter.

I did the technique through a stencil-pretty cool!

The tombstone is a labels die cut with the bottom cut off.  I used the technique around the bottom, top and one edge only. The crackle looks really special on this pediment.

And on the banner.

You can really see the crust on this old muffin tin! Lots of layers of foliage in this cemetery!

The cracks really show nicely on the witch hat, but also used the technique on the pediment and frame.

Here are the colors of Distress Paints I used: Mowed Grass, browns, blues, Seedless Preserves, Pewter, Picket Fence,  and Antique Linen--not one drop of anything in the orange or black range--don't have it.

I also used various colors of Distress Inks, Stains, and Markers, as well as embossing powder, Dylusions and Perfect Pearls sprays on skully's background, black texture paste and a homemade texture paste. I made my own witches hat, the star is a die cut (premade by K and Co.).  I also used a couple of stencils (Tim's Gothic, Shatter and Halloween, TCW's  tree and harlequin) for backgrounds, as well as a few stamps (Tim's Trick or Treat and Odds and Ends, All Night Media and Martha Stewart).  I used copper Paint Dabber on the Weathered clock, one of the few surfaces I did not use the Colored Crackle on. Also used a chit chat sticker to cover up a ghastly stamping mistake when my kitty jumped on my worktable.

My spider swings freely on his silver thread in his muffin cup. The banner says "A frightful time".

Mr. Skully was stamped  in Distress paint and heat embossed with  white embossing powder. It looks like there is an eye socket, a mouth and cheekbone on Mr. Skully--this happened quite by accident--just part of the background stenciling.

A couple of Halloween tickets kept behind a cargo net in a muffin cup.

The cargo net I made with the bag some sculls came in.  I used 2 different die sets to make the frame.  I inked the black/white polka dot paper with Wild Honey for a ouch of traditional Halloween colors.

Other supplies include silver thread, moss, lichen and a plastic netting from a bag of skulls. I am happy to report that no kids Halloween toys,  plastic spiders or skeletons were harmed during the making of this project!

 I pushed the envelope a little of some of the Crackle pieces trying different ways and different substrates to achieve different looks, but I did follow Tim's instructions as they appear on page 53.  I am so pleased with the way each piece came out, although you can see that the lighter colors provide a nicer result. The technique was used on the Ornate Frames, the spider, the cat, both of their backgrounds, the banner, the rosette and the backing to the rosette, the pediments, witches hat, and the tombstone.

Enjoy the pictures, and I hope you have a Happy Halloween--back to decorating for the trick or treaters!  Stop back on Halloween-I hope to have some nice photos of the yard display for you.  You are getting a tiny taste as my muffin tin made the rounds in my yard.

That background behind Mr. Skully has a real ghastly glow to it!  I don't think I could every reproduce the background again!  Should have written down the recipe!

It looks like the warlock's head is floating in his framed muffin cup. I used a piece of black card stock to pop him to the front of the cup.

This guy sits in his own life sized coffin and I've lit him up with the most ghastly green light-- a real beauty at night and my pride and joy!

Had to break out the hammer and nails to make my picket fence.

I would also like to enter this into the following inspiring, talent-filled challenges:
Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge #18, "Layer It" Layers and layers of ink, stain, paint, texture paste, embossing powders and secret ingredient on die cuts
Country View Challenges Sparkle and Shine Shine all over this!
Inspiration Journal "In Disguise" I've disguised my muffin tin as a creepy hangout for all my Halloween creepy dies, my kid's school notebook cover as a witch and a warlock,  and the Halloween toy bag is cargo rope.
Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge "Treats"
The Sizzix Challenge "Halloween"
Artist Trading Post Exchange "Halloween"
Re-Cycle, Re-Purpose, and Re-Invent Fall Harvest Halloween Part 2